A grain auger is used in agriculture to move a material or product, such as grain, from trucks, trailers, grain carts, etc., to a storage bin. A typical auger includes a long tube that is inclined, with a hopper at the lower, inlet end and a spout at the elevated, output end. A fighting rotates within the tube, which moves the material from the hopper and out of the spout. In some applications, augers may damage the material being transferred, such as cracking seeds. Thus, a conveyor may be used instead of an auger. A conveyor uses a continuous belt to move the material, which is gentler in moving the material than a typical flighting of an auger.
One type of conveyor uses a short intake conveyor, which is referred to as a swing conveyor. A typical swing conveyor includes a short tube, with one end of the tube pivotally attached to the inlet end of the “main” conveyor, and a hopper on the other end of the tube. The swing conveyor is used to “swing” underneath the discharge outlet of a hopper-bottom trailer or truck, and transfer the material to the main conveyor.
When a truck or trailer is parked next to a conveyor for unloading, there may not be sufficient space to rotate the swing conveyor underneath the truck or trailer without contacting tires, mud flaps, jacks, etc. Unfortunately, a user may need to position the truck/trailer or the conveyor to create ample space for the swing conveyor, and then reposition the truck/trailer or the conveyor again to align the hopper of the swing conveyor with the discharge outlet of the truck/trailer.